Circumcision clamp



Aug. 96 0 l. GROSSMAN 3,050,065

CIRCUMCISION CLAMP Filed March 28, 1960 INVENTOR.

United rates The present invention relates to a circumcision clamp of the so-called bloodless type which may be employed 'by the user with facility to readily apply such clamp to the patient, with the prepuce of the penis held securely in proper place preparatory to and after surgical cutting thereof.

Clamps of this general type have long been known to the art but up to the present time they have been subject to certain disadvantages. For example, if such clamps were designed for rapid application their clamping arrangement has been such that it was undependable and could be readily disengaged by a slight jar or blow to the instrument. On the other hand, in an effort to eliminate the inadvertent loosing of the clamp by assuring its retention in the clamped position, manipulation of the locking arrangement has been exceedingly difiicult and time consuming for the operator.

It is accordingly the primary object of the present invention to provide a circumcision clamp which can be readily employed by the operator with great facility.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a circumcision clamp which can be employed with great facility by the operator and wherein such clamp can be readily locked in a positive clamped position which cannot be loosened by striking or jarring yet is immediately unlocked by manipulation by the operator when desired.

Still further objects of the present invention will become obvious to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the circumcision clamp of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a vertical view looking at the right hand end of the clamp as seen in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view partly in section of the clamp in its locked position as shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a vertical view looking at the left hand end of the clamp of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3,

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of such clamp in its locked position,

FIG. 6 is a side view partly in section of the base portion of the clamp in its disassembled position,

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view partly in section of the clamp in its asesmbled but unlocked position,

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a slight modification which the circumcision clamp of the present invention may take, and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view of the modification as shown in FIG. 8.

Referring now to the drawing in detail the circumcision clamp 4 as therein shown comprises a base member 5 preferably formed of stainless steel, although other noncorrosive durable metal may also be employed. Such base member 5 has an end portion 6 of slightly less thickness than the remainder thereof and which end is provided with an opening 7 flaring outwardly toward the bottom of the base 5, as can be seen from FIGS. 3, 6 and 8. The opposite end of such base member 5 is bifurcated and one end of a cam lever assembly comprising a toggle link 8 is pivotally secured by a rivet or the like 9 within the slotted portion formed by such bifurcated end. This toggle link 8 is in turn pivotally connected by a rivet or the like 10 to a cam lever 12 which is likewise slotted, as

seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, to receive such link 8 and which thus completes the cam lever assembly. An additional detachable part of such clamp *4- comprises a cup or bell 13 having a vertical stem 14 and which bell 13 fits inside the foreskin or prepuce, sometimes requiring a dorsal slit despite application of a lubricant such as petroleum jelly, in order to fit the anterior end of the glans within the hollow interior of the bell 13. When the bell 13 together with its stem 14 is in place upon the penis they are passed through the opening 7 in the end of the base member 5.

In order to clamp the prepuce between the outer surface of the bell .13 and the inner surface of the base member end 6 around the circumference of the opening 7, a third detachable handle member 15 of the clamp 4 is provided which has its goose-neck end portion 16 bifurcated and having grooves engageable by lateral lugs 17 carried by the stem 14. A pivotal engagement is established by a groove and bar arrangement 18 between the base member 5 and the handle member 15, so that upon depression of such handle member 15 toward the base member 5 the goose-neck end 16 pulls upwardly on the stem 14 and bell 13 to thus form a haemostat about the prepuce adjacent the circumferential surface of the base member 5. As shown in the drawing, the free end of the handle part 15 is also bifurcated so that the aforesaid toggle link 8 will pass through the slot 19 thus formed. Inasmuch as the cam lever 12 will then be positioned above the handle member 15, rotation of the cam lever 12 about its pivot 10 and depression of its extension finger 20 will thus align a flat surface of such cam lever 12 with the handle member 15 and retain downward pressure upon the latter with resultant upward force on the stem 14 and bell 13 for a period of time as determined by the operator for haemostasis to occur. The operator then cutsthe prepuce level with the surface of the base member 5 after which the cam lever 12 is rotated in an opposite direction to loosen the clamp 4 and which is then removed from the penis.

A slight modification of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 which is more readily adaptable for the circumcision of adults as distinguished from infants.

In this modification the bell 13 is of much larger size as is the base member 5 with its opening 7. Also the stem 14 is provided with an additional pair of laterally extending lugs 23 engageable by two slotted arms 24 afiixed to a detachable depending serrated clamping finger 25 which is biased into firm engagement with the bell 13 by a leaf spring 26 having its lower end affixed to the stem 14 and its upper curved end 27 fitting into a groove in the upper end of the depending clamping finger 25. Accordingly, when the prepuce is fitted over the bell 13 the serrated surface on the lower end of the spring-biased contact finger 25 will hold such prepuce in place as well as maintaining the bell 13 on the anterior end of the glans which is of considerable assistance to the operator.

From the foregoing it should thus be apparent to those skilled in the art that a circumcision clamp is herein provided wherein the instrument can be used by the operator with great facility and in which the clamping action thereof can be accomplished with one hand and once clamped in position it cannot be inadvertently loosened by striking or jarring due to the positive locking by the action of the cam lever. Also, due to the fact that the parts are readily detachable the clamp can be quickly assembled and disassembled for sterilization after usage. It should likewise be obvious that the groove and bar arrangement and which forms the pivotal engagement between the base member and the handle member, can be reversed from that as specifically shown in the drawing and that likewise the cam lever assembly can also be reversed with the link being secured to the handle member instead of the base member but engaging the latter in the locking position of the clamp. A still further salient feature of the circumcision clamp of the present invention resides in the fact that due to the thinness of the goose-neck end of the handle, the thumb of the operator can be readily placed in the curvature of the neck portion to initially apply pressure and thus hold the parts in place preparatory to more permanently locking the clamp ih its closed position. bythe cam lever.

Although two modifications. of the present invention have been shown and described it is to be understood that still further. embodiments thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A readily detachable circumcision clamp comprising a base member having an opening in. one end and its other end bifurcated; a handle member having an offset end and an opposite bifurcated'end and pivotally mounted v on said base member, a bell: provided with a vertically disposed stemfitting into the opening of said base member and said stem being connected to the offset end of said handle member for vertical movement of said bell and stem upon rotation of said' handle member in one direction about its pivot. to form a clamp at the juncture of? said belt with the circumferential edge of said base member adjacent the opening therein, and a cam lever assembly comprising a link havingione end thereof pivoted to said base member and passing through the slot formed by the bifurcated end of said handle member and a cam lever pivotally connected to said link and rotatable by depression of an extension finger to cause the cam surface thereof to directly engage and bear upon the surface of said handle member when said link is passed through. the slot formed in the bifurcated end of said handle member to cause said handle member to be rotated about its pivotal connection with said base member to apply pressure to said clamp and to thereafter maintain said cam lever in a fixed position relative to said handle member against inadvertent dislodgement and to thus lock said clamp in operative position until intentionally released by lifting the extension finger of said cam lever and rotating it in an opposite direction thus immediately loosening. said clamp.

2. A circumcision clamp comprising, a base member having an opening in one end; a handle member having an offset end and pivotally mounted on said base member, abell provided with a vertically disposed stem fitting into the openingof saidrbase'member and said-stem being connected to the ofiset end of said handle member for vertical movement of said bell and stemupon rotation of said handle member in one direction about its pivot to form a clamp at the juncture of said bell with the circumferential edge of said base member adjacent the opening therein, a clamping finger carried by said stern having a serrated surface and biased toward said bell to assist in retaining the prepuce in position over the surface of said bell during an operation, and a cam lever assembly pivoted to one of said members and with its camlever rotatable into engagement Wiah the other of said members to cause said handle member to be rotated about its pivotal connection with said base member to apply pressure to said clamp and to thereafter maintain said cam lever in a fixed position relative to said base member against inadvertent dislodgement and to thus lock said clamp in operative position until intentionally released.

3. A circumcision clamp comprising a base member having an opening in one end and its other end bifurcated; a handle member having an ofiset end and an opposite bifurcated end and pivotally mounted on. said base member with said oifset end being of relatively uniform thickness throughout its curvature to provide a neck portion readily engageable by the thumb of the operator to initially move said handle about its pivot and hold the parts of said clamp in operative position until thereafter more securely locked, a bell provided with a vertically disposed stem fitting into the opening of said base member and said stem being connected to the offset end of said handle member for vertical movement of said bell and stem upon rotation of said handle member in one direction about its pivot to form a clamp at the juncture of said bell with the circumferential edge of said base member adjacent the opening therein, and a cam lever assembly passing through the bifurcated ends of both said members and pivoted to one of said members and with its cam lever rotatable into direct surface engagement with the other of said members to cause said handle member to be rotated about its pivotal connection with said base member to apply pressure to said clamp and to thereafter maintain said cam lever in a fixed position relative to said base member against inadvertent dislodgement and to thus lock said clamp in operative position until intentionally released by rotation of said cam lever in an opposite direction to thereby immediately loosen said clamp.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,540,745 Bain June 9, 1-925 2,345,639 Tibone et al'. Apr. 4, 1944 2,454,309 Davis Nov. 23, 1948 2,620,800 Powers Dec. 9; I952 2,646;047 Bronstein July 2l,' 1953 

